Talent might not be the only factor for the Houston Texans in their free-agency pursuits this offseason.
The Texans, who are poised for a bounce-back season in 2018 with Deshaun Watson under center, have a chance to make a big splash in the open market thanks to a favorable salary cap situation. However, there’s a chance Houston will stay away from players who made on-field statements regarding off-the-field issues.
“I spoke with two NFL agents this week who said word is the Texans aren’t interested in any players who participated in pregame kneel-downs in protest of police brutality,” the Houston Chronicle’s Jerome Solomon writes.
“There is no directive within the organization, but it is considered to be understood that as desperate as the Texans are to bring in talent, the pool of potential signees and draftees will not include anyone who has participated in protests or are likely to.”
Solomon made a point to note that the Texans are not a racist organization. That said, owner Bob McNair’s comments last season likening NFL players to prison inmates took the league by storm and justifiably did not sit well with most. So, if the Texans truly are steering clear of players who made on-field protests, those players might not want to be a part of an organization that doesn’t accept their social activeness in the first place.
